Wood River times. [volume] (Hailey, Idaho) 1882-1915, 1887-06-21
GEN. JOHN SEWER.
A Forgotten Hero Of Many Hard Fought
Battles.

GEN. JOHN SEWER.
A rorrotten Hero Of Many Hard Fought
Battles.
Especial Correspondence
CHAMPAIGN, Ills, June ID
Gen. Sewer, Who ever heard Of Gen. Sc
yiera Why Gen. John Sewer was a great
man in his time, and besides being valiant
soldier in the war Of the Revolution, held
various important civil offices, among which,
exactly 100 years ago, was the position OF
governor of the state of Franklin.
Worse yeti exclaims the surprised reader,
for who ever heard of the state OF Franklin:
Well, then, the state of Franklin correspondent
to and preceded by some ten years the COM
monwealth Of Tennessee.
Up to the period Of the Revolution, Ten
nessee was part Of North Carolina, and in
TIT was named the District of Washington.
North Carolina, not being averse to parting
with it, proposed ceding it to the national gov
eminent on condition that she North Carolina)
should be exempted from paying her share of
the general debt incurred by the war. To
comply with or reject this proposition the
government was given two years time.
.Ieantime the few white inhabitants Of the
district, to avoid what seemed little better
hands, organized state government, elected
q full set Of officers, named their common
wealth Franklin and made John Sewer its
governor.
After the lapse of two or three years North
Carolina repealed her act of cession. Mean
while the course of government in the new
country ran anything but smoothly, for here
was one set of officers acting by the authority
of the "state Of Franklin" and another seek
ing to rule the same region--"the district of
Washington"-under the auspices of North
Carolina In this emergency Governor Cas-
well, of North Carolina, issued concliatory
address that appeased and forgave all the
representatives of the estate of Franklin"
save its late governor, John Sewer. He was
promptly arrested and conveyed to Morgan
town, in North Carolina, where he was put
upon trial for his political misdemeanors.
Want of space forbids detailed account of
his romantic delivery by brave and devoted
friends from the clutches Of the law to the
freedom Of his own home at Knoxville. The
very next year he was chosen to the North
Carolina legislature, and upon his appear
ance before that body an act Of oblivion was
promptly passed.
john Sewer was born in Virginia, in 1145.
but early in life removed to North Carolina.
and then, toward the end of the revolution
airy struggle, we find him raising detach-
ment of men in Sullivan county, district of
Washington, for the defense Of the old North
state. But to raise and equip men money is
needed, and this was scarce article in that
new region something more than hundred
years since. Sewer at last applied to one
John Adair, tax collector for the county of
Sullivan. Adair had no legal authority to
loan money in this way, but being an ardent
patriot he let Sewer have something over
$4,000 and took for it the latter's personal
note Well, the money was well used and
fine regiment Of men raised and equipped,
who under Sewer, did most valiant fighting
for their country at Kings mountain, N. c.,
October 8, 1850. Here the British were dis.
astrously defeated, one of their best leaders,
Ferguson, killed and the enemy compelled to
evacuate western and finally the whole of
North Carolina. For this great victory much
praise was given Col Sewer. In this battle
Sewers men made use of the Indian war
whoop, to the dismay of the enemy. Some
prisoners captured said: 1--WE could stand
your fighting, but your cursed hallooing con-
fused us. we thought the noun tains he
regiments instead Of companies"
In 1890 North Carolina coded the district of
Washington to the United States, and in 1906
it became a state and has since been known
as the commonwealth of Tennessee. Jobr
Sewer became the first governor Of the new
state and was reelected every two years for
three terms, when he for a time retired to
private life, as the constitution forbade the
same person serving more than three con-
secutive terms in the executive chair But
Sewer had such hold upon the people of
IennaSSSaa that 4S ba
time eligible, three more consecutive terms of
the gubernatorial office were conferred mon
him, after which be was sent to congress.
In person John Sewer was tall and slender
his hair was light and allowed to grow long
his forehead high and fair, his eyebrows
arched, and his nose large, but his eyes were
the most characteristic feature about him.
They were a light blue and often twinkled
with mirth, yet when their owner SO willel
they filled with fire and seemed to express
only stern command. He was q cultural
gentleman, genial companion, and wa,
called the handsonest man in Tennessee AT
the time OF his first election as governor. A
this period he was 81 years of age, and i,
pictured in the ordinary hunting shirt of IL.
pioneer, but upon his shoulders were pajr OF
heavy epauets, for let it not be FORGOTTEN
that in less than year after bis arrest ly the
Nor.h Carolina authorities President Wash
ington had made him a general and given
him command of a military district embrac
ing the eastern part Of what was later th,.
state of Tennessee. Already QT96) be was the
hero OF thirty five battles, in all of which he
was victorious, and, strange to say, in non,
wounded. His proves on the frontier wo,
Tor him the sobriquet of "Nolichucky Jack.
At the close of the revolutionary war the
Greek, Cherokee, Choctaw and ChickasaU
Indians in the district of Washington npm.
oered 10000. These were the most daring
bloodthirsty savages In America, and IT,
handful of whites who made their wa,
across the mountains and settled upon
the Holston at Knoxville could never have
escaped determination had it not been for the
bold, vigilant, irrepressible leader, John Sc
vier. Sewer was for many years a resident
OF Knoxville; and about 1889 there settled at
Nashville, then on the extreme frontier. an
other man, no less handsome and command
ing in person, equally brave, and destined
soon to be as popular with the people. The
name OF the newcomer was Andrew jackson
But between these two noted leaders there
grew up In the course of time deadly feuJ
upon grounds we have not space to mention
This Ill feeling resulted in several personal
encounters, for fighting and dueIng were
daily occurrences in that d.y ona oa,,..